Switch-operating mechanism.



A. 0. PICARD.

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

7 APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. 1916- 1,238,189. I

"Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETS- SHEET I.

A. 0. PICARD.

SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. ms.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALBERT OTIS PICARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH-OPERATING- MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed August 7, 1916. Serial No. 113,513.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT OTIs PICARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to switch operating mechanism, and more particularly to mechanism actuated solely by the car wheels to automatically throw the switch point or allow it to remain stationary, as the motorman may elect.

Numerous devices have heretofore been invented for enabling the motormen of cars to control the throwing of a switch point, but such devices usually require the operation of some special device by the motormen, which adds to their already numerous duties.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a switch throwing mechanism, the operation of which will require the provision of no additional deviceon the car and will not require the motorman to leave his usual position on the car.

A further object of my invention is to provide a switch throwing mechanism which will allow the switch point to remain unmoved when the car wheels pass thereover, and will only be operative to throw the switch point when a car comes substantially to a stop with one wheel thereof on the track device of such mechanism.

A further object of my invention is to provide switch operating mechanism which will be simple in construction, convenient in use, and efficient in operation.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the same is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a track provided with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the box containing the switch operating mechanism taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the box containing the switch throwing mechanlsm; i

Fig. l is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 41 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the track device.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Reference characters A and A designate the rails of a track, while reference characters l3 and B designate the rails of a communicating track connected with the rails A and A by a rigid switch point B and by a movable switch point C.

D designates a box for containing the mechanism for throwing the switch point C, such box being located along the inner surface of the web of the rail A and ex tending beneath the end of the switch point C, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The box D may conveniently be of a height to fit between the under surface of the head of the rail and the upper surface of the ties E, upon which the rail base is supported. The box D is provided with a removable cover D to permit access thereto.

A pin 0 is rigidly connected to the underside of the switch point C adjacent the swinging end thereof, and extends through registering slots a formed in the underlying portion of the head of the rail A and the top of the box D, as shown in Fig. 4:. The lower end of the pin 0, which depends within the box D, has afiixed thereto a bracket F having a slot 7 in the end thereof opposite to that which is rigidly connected to the pin. The slot f is engaged by a stud g at the upper end of a lever G, the latter being pivotally mounted upon a fulcrum 9 projecting inwardly from a bracket G secured to the adjacent end wall of the box D. The lower end of the lever G is provided with a stud 9 which projects into a cam slot formed between two cam members K and K rigidly secured to a shaft H, pivotally supported at its ends between brackets H and H secured to the inner surface of the adjacent end wall of the box D below the bracket G Fixed upon one end of the shaft H is a ratchet wheel L engaged by a pawl Z pivotally supported upon the bracket H Fixed upon the opposite end of the shaft H is a second ratchet wheel L engaged by apawl m pivotally mounted upon a disk M, rotatably supported upon the shaft H intermediate of the cam member K and ratchet wheel L. A spring m is carried by the disk M for normally retaining the pawl m in contact with the teeth of the ratchet wheel L.

A link N is pivotally connected at its upper end to the disk M and at its lower end to one arm of a bell-crank lever O, the lat ter being pivotally mounted upon a bracket 0 secured to the bottom of the box D, adjacent the end thereof in which is located the shaft H. The shorter arm of the bell-crank lever O is connected by a link P with the shorter arm of a bellcrank lever Q, fulcrumed upon a bracket 9 secured to the bottom of the box D, adjacent the opposite end thereof from the bell-crank lever O. The longer arm of the bell-crank lever Q, is pivotally connected by a link R with a fiat horizontally projecting member S, the latter being located within a trough formed of two sections T and U, the former being rigidly secured by means of a bracket 1, to a side wall of the box D. The other section U of the trough is rigidly secured to a lever V fulcrumed upon a stud '12 secured to the sidewall of the box D and provided with a head TV, which projects upwardly through registering slots 10 in the top of the box and overlying portion of the rail A such head serving as a track device to be engaged by the flange of a car wheel passing along the rail A Resting upon the member S, and supported within the trough formed by the movable section U and the rigid section T, is a weight X.

The operation of my improved switch operating mechanism is as follows: When a car approaches the switch point and it is desired to throw the same from the p0sition in which it then is into its other position, the motorman stops the car with one of the wheels thereof resting upon the track device W. The weight of the car oscillates the lever V so that the section U of the trough is elevated and the weight X then rolls along the member S until it is stopped by the end of the rigid member T of the trough, at which time it rests directly above the link R. The weight of the ball depresses the linkR, thereby oscillating the bell-crank lever Q, which in turn, through the connecting link P, oscillates the bell-crank lever O, the latter lifting the link N and oscillating the disk M. The oscillation of the disk M rotates the shaft H through the engagement of the pawl m with the ratchet wheel L. The shaft H is oscillated at an angular distance sufficient to impart to the lower end of the lever G a maximum movement owing to the engagement of the stud g thereon with the curved slot formed between the cam members K and K This movement of the lever G is transmitted through the bracket F and stud 0 to the switch point C, which is thereby thrown so as to connect the rail A with the desired track beyond the switch point. The switch point is retained in the position to which it has been moved through the engagement of the pawl Z with the ratchet wheel L on the shaft H.

The parts are returned to the position shown in Fig. 3 after the weight X has depressed the member S and thereby actuated the, mechanism connected therewith, by reason of the weight X rolling along the member S and oscillating the same about the inner edge of the section U of the trough as the latter oscillates by gravity from its elevated position to the lower position shown in Fig. 3.

Should it not be desired to throw the switch point, the motorman of the car approaching the same does not stop his car but allows the same to continue toward and past the switch point. The movement of the car wheels over the track device W merely imparts to the lever V a quick up and down movement insufficient to cause the weight X to roll from the movable section U to the fixed section T of its supporting trough.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that in the operation of my improved switch throwing mechanism, it is unnecessary for the cars to be equipped with any auxiliary devices and it is also unnecessary for the motorman to leave his usual position on the car. If the switch point which the car is approaching is already in position to impart the desired direction to the car, the motorman merely continues his car on to the switch point without stopping the same, and the switch point remains unmoved owing to the depressions of the track device being of such short duration as not to effect the shifting of the weight to a position where it will be imposed upon the plunger link R. Should, however, it be necessary to throw the switch point in order to impart to the car the desired direction, the motorman stops the car with a wheel, preferably the front wheel, on the track device W, thereby holding the same depressed for a sufficient length of time for the rolling weight to be shifted to a position above the plunger R, and thereby efi'ect the throwing of the switch point in the manner above described. After the switch point has been thrown, the ear proceeds without again throwing the switch inasmuch as the wheels of the car which pass over the track device do not depress the same long enough to shift the rolling weight to a position above the plunger R.

The track device W is preferably provided with an upper portion W removably secured by means of screws 10 so that it may be removed when worn through usage and replaced, thereby insuring the track device projecting a requisite distance above the rail for engagement by the wheel flange.

While I have described more or less in detail the specific structure in which I have illustrated my invention as embodied, yet it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of equivalents, as may be found expedient without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a switch point, a movable track device normally projecting into the path of a car wheel, and means connecting said track device with the switch point for throwing the latter only upon engagement of a car wheel with the track device for apredetermined interval of time.

2. In combination with a switch point, a movable track device normally projecting into the path of a car element, and means connecting said track device with the switch point for throwing the latter only upon the depression of the track device for a predetermined interval of time.

3. In combination with a switch point, a movable track device normally projecting into the path of a car element, a cam connected with the switch point for automatically throwing the same in opposite directions upon successive movements of the cam, and means connecting said track device with said cam to move the latter and thereby throw the switch point only upon a depression of the track device for a predetermined interval of time.

4. In combination with a switch point, a movable track device normally projecting into the path of a car element, a rotary cam operatively connected with the switch point, a ratchet wheel concentric with and fixed to said cam, a reciprocating pawl movable relatively to said ratchet wheel for engaging the same and moving said cam the requisite distance to throw the switch point, and means connecting the track device with said pawl to reciprocate the same and throw the switch only upon engagement of the car element with the track device for a predetermined interval of time.

5. In combination with a switch point, a movable track device normally projecting into the path of a car element, a shifting weight, a movable carriage in which said weight is normally supported, a plunger adapted to be depressed by said weight, means operatively connecting said plunger with the switch point for throwing the latter when depressed by said weight, and means connecting said track device with said carrier for moving the latter to shift the weight on to said plunger.

6. In combination with a switch point, a movable track device normally projecting into the path of a car element, means for throwing the switch point comprising a shifting weight, and means actuated by said track device for shifting said weight and throwing the switch point.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

ALBERT OTIS PIOARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

